1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to firehoses and is particularly directed to means, such as a carrying case for storing and transporting a firehose.
2. Prior Art
In the course of fighting fires, firemen are frequently required to transport firehoses from a fire engine to the location where the hose is needed. Unfortunately, firehoses must often be transported a considerable distance from the fire engine to the location of use. Furthermore, the transportation of the firehoses usually must be conducted manually and frequently requires that the fireman carry the firehose a considerable distance into a burning building, which is filled with smoke and flame and which may have collapsing structure blocking the route or endangering the fireman during the delivery of the hose. Thus, the transportation of the firehose is extremely difficult and dangerous. To simply grasp the hose nozzle and proceed to drag the firehose behind the fireman would cause the fireman to drag a rapidly increasing weight as the hose paid out and would risk the hose becomming snagged on corners or debris, which would interfere with movement of the hose, delay transportation of the hose and subject the fireman to the unnecessary risk of returning to unsnag the hose. Thus, it is customary for the fireman to carry the hose and to pay out the hose as he moves about the burning building. However, firehoses are very heavy and bulky and cannot be handled or carried without risk of their becoming uncoiled and, hence, virtually impossible to manipulate or control. Therefore, the transportation of firehoses is an extremely difficult and hazardous, yet necessary and frequent factor in the fireman's daily life.
In order to overcome these problems, there have been numerous proposals for packaging the firehose to provide a safer and more convenient means for storing and transporting the hose. Unfortunately, most of the prior art firehose storage and transportation devices have been only partial solutions and have often created as many problems as they solved. A search in the U.S. Patent Office has revealed the following:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 3,722,823 A. Reich et al Mar. 27, 1973 4,858,797 W. G. Rabska Aug. 22, 1989 4,685,601 C. C. Riddling Aug. 11, 1987 4,600,134 J. S. Colby Jul. 15, 1986 ______________________________________
The patent to Reich et al discloses a metal rack for storing and transporting a firehose. Unfortunately, this device adds very considerably to the weight and bulk of the firehose and, hence, adds to the difficulty of manually transporting the firehose. The Rabska device facilitates simultaneous transportation of a plurality of firehoses, but requires removal of a coiled hose, as one unit, and does not permit the hose to be gradually paid out as the fireman moves thought the burning building or through brush, forest or rough terrain. If an attempt were made to gradually pay out the hose from Rabska's device, it would require that the hose rotate within the backpack, in order to uncoil, as the fireman was moving through the burning building, and this would result in friction, against the other hose and the straps of the device, which would greatly increase the difficulty of movement for the fireman. Furthermore, neither of the devices of Reich or Rabska could be used by a fireman using an air bottle for breathing. Paying out hose from the Riddling device would create a rocking motion, as the hose paid out from one side to the other and back, which would make is difficult for the fireman to maintain his balance and, hence, could increase the danger of transporting the firehose. The Colby device would carry one hose in each of its pouches and would, obviously, provide an increasingly unbalanced load, if either of the hoses were gradually paid out from its pouch. Thus, none of the prior hose storage and transportation devices have been entirely satisfactory.